GAFFER Fraser Duncan was furious with the referee following Saturday's Scottish Cup defeat at the hands of Kilwinning Rangers.

His Sauchie side were on the receiving end of a contentious penalty call with the scores level, with Kilwinning taking what proved to be a decisive lead, and the manager was left to lament his side's lack of luck.

Duncan told Advertiser Sport: “The referee has made an absolute howler of a decision for the penalty. Their team couldn't believe it either. I couldn't understand it. It was going to a replay because we were set up really well. We defended well, we worked hard and we just can't find that bit of creativity up front. But I was very impressed with their team. They were very well organised and their three up front were very creative which made it difficult for us.

“Over the 90 minutes Kilwinning did just edge it in terms of chances but I would have really fancied our chances in a replay. We just don't seem to get any luck when it comes to cup draws. We don't get any home draws and we always seem to get punished with bad decisions. The boys are gutted because they have played well and not got the results.”

The Wee County side got off to the perfect start when they took the lead in the opening minute, and Duncan says his players should have put the game out of Kilwinning's reach early on.

He said: “If it goes to 2-0 it makes us change the outlook of the team. We scored the first goal and had two or three chances after that. They weren't really creating as many clear-cut chances as I was expecting. It's disappointing overall. We are really gutted about it. But we still have plenty to focus on, and we can now try and get a bit of consistency in the team.”

Sauchie return to league duty on Saturday when high-flying Bo'ness visit Beechwood Park, and the manager thinks that although their opponents will be hurting following their own cup exit, his side can take heart from their victory on the opening day of the season.

Duncan also revealed that the Sauchie fans can expect to see some new faces involved on Saturday as he looks to freshen up his squad.

He added: “It will be a tough game and they will also be disappointed at having gone out of the cup at the weekend as will we. They have some decent players but we will approach the game the way we approached the last one. We don't have anything to fear at all.

“There will be a couple of bodies coming in by Saturday and there will be some players moving on. Unfortunately that's the way football is these days and we have to try and add a bit of an edge to the squad.”